Better security is need at our schools

IT'S the stuff of nightmares for parents.

The thought that their children could be trapped in a school in which two suspected armed men were at large '“ that's the horrific situation which arose at the Vale First and Middle School in Findon Valley on Monday morning.

Thankfully, no-one was injured in the chapter of incidents, which started with an armed robbery at a Tesco store in Chichester at just after 8am and ended with two men being arrested at the Vale school just over an hour later. But the thought persists, what if..?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Our minds go back, of course, to another March day, in 1996, in Dunblane, Scotland, when deranged gun-lover Thomas Hamilton entered the local primary school and shot dead 16 children and a teacher.

The Dunblane Massacre, as it has since become known, was a turning point in both the shape of Britain's gun laws, and the standard of security for our schools, primary ones in particular.

The country has since spent millions of pounds on high boundary fencing, electronic detection aids and security locks to prevent unauthorised access to school sites, especially when pupils are on the premises.

Yet, security procedures did not stop dangerous intruders gaining easy access to the Vale school on Monday morning.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Head teacher Tony Lovatt said in a letter to parents and guardians later that day: "At that time of day, with parents entering and leaving the school, no security system could have prevented these men from accessing the premises."

That statement reveals the weak link in the system.

The disturbing thing about this affair is the fact that the intruders were not detected until AFTER they were in the main body of the school. By then, no prompt reaction from staff and the police could have prevented a possible Dunblane-type horror story.

Without wishing to appear over-alarmist, the Herald says lessons must be learned from the ease with which the Vale school's security system was breached. And if extra resources and more vetting of people accessing the school at ALL times is necessary, then so be it '“ and all schools should follow suit.

-------------------------------------

Click here for more Herald says.

Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here.

Email the Herald: [email protected]

Want to read this page in French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Urdu or 48 other languages? click here for Google translate.

Related topics: